I'm not an expert either in Photoshop or Illustrator. Well, I've mid level skill in Photoshop. But in Illustrator, I'm simply a beginner. Even I don't have a basic skill in Adobe Illustrator. Few days ago, I faced a serious problem while creating a table in Illustrator. I searched for a long time but failed to find the proper option to create a table.

Today just few hours ago I searched the topic on Google - How to Create a Table in Adobe Illustrator? Many results appear as usual. I chose one from them and learned how to create table in Illustrator.

In this post, I'm gonna share with you what I've learned just now! Yes, here you get the easiest way to create table in Adobe Illustrator step by step with helpful images! Definitely this will help the beginners of Illustrator. This post is not for the experts. ;)

And this method works with all versions of Illustrator. I mean the procedure is same for all versions. Let's begin -

Step 1:Run Adobe Illustrator and Open a New Document by pressing Ctrl + N. Choose any paper size you wish. It doesn't matter.

Step 2: Now you have to draw a Rectangle. Look at the image below to know where the rectangle tool is located. In Adobe Illustrator CS6, the Keyboard Shortcut for Rectangle Tool is M. You can also press M to enable Rectangle Tool and then draw the size of your table.

Step 3: Now you have to split the newly created rectangle. But before that make sure the black color is selected in the Color window. Also make sure the rectangle is selected. Now go to Object menu > Path > Split into Grid... . Take help of the image below if necessary.

Step 4: Now you get a new Window named Split into Grid. Type the number of Rows and Columns in the box and then hit OK.

Wait a minute before hitting OK! There are some other options you need to know. Look at the Height, Width and Gutter. By changing the values of these options, you can increase or decrease the spacing between rows and columns. Select the Preview option to check what happens when you change the values. :)

When you're done, you will get a table like the image below:

Tips: After creating the table if you hit on the blank area of the document, it might be disappeared! This is occurred when no color is selected. But table is still on the document. You can guess the area of your table and select it with the Direct Selection Tool (Keyboard Shortcut A). Then find the Color window and choose black or any other color.

Advice: You can easily avoid the disappearance problem! Before drawing the rectangle, make sure the color (any color) is selected in the Color window. If no color is selected, you should choose a color from there.

Windows 8 Developer Preview was released at the end of 2011. Couple of months later, Microsoft released the Consumer Preview version of Windows 8. Couple of weeks ago, another trial version was released- Release Preview. And we got the final version of Windows 8 just few months ago. Windows 8 has brought a revolutionary change for the users. It includes many exclusive features which were not available earlier!

Microsoft expected that Windows 8 will be able to attract the existing as well as new customers. But even with so many exceptional features, Windows 8 was not so popular in the market. Many new users of Windows 8 was puzzled while using it. New Start Screen, disappearance of Computer icon from the desktop, absence of .Net Framework 3.5 were some of the prime reasons behind this failure. Still Microsoft is trying to make the new Windows popular. And Windows 8.1 is a part of such initiative!

I'm using Windows 8 since 2011, just after the release of Developer Preview version. And I've used all versions of Windows 8 so far including Consumer Preview, Release Preview and definitely the final version too. Now waiting for the preview version of Windows 8.1. Hopefully I'm getting this within a short time. But I can't wait to write something on Windows 8.1! :)

After the releasing the final version of Windows 8, some were talking about Windows 9. Some told the next version will be Windows Blue. But when Windows 8 failed to capture the market, Microsoft started thinking about how to make it popular. Because in 2006, they experienced a major problem with Windows Vista. That was the worst OS ever released by Microsoft. Definitely Windows 8 is much better than 7 or XP. But as the users have failed to cope up with the new OS, it has been a serious issue to think about.

Windows 8.1 Preview

A free update to Windows 8 is coming at the end of this year called Windows 8.1. And before making it available for the users, Windows 8.1 Preview has been released including new apps and services!

No special requirement is necessary for the preview version. If your PC is capable of running Windows 7 or 8, the 8.1 will also run.

Product Key is not necessary if you upgrade your current Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 Preview. But if you install a fresh copy of Windows 8.1 through ISO file, then you may need to use the following product key:

If you're using a blogger blog, then you should notice some major changes in its HTML editor. Google made those changes couple of months ago. You will see the code is colored, folded and very much structured. You will also notice some new buttons which were not available earlier. What are the uses and benefits of these buttons? Read more to know . . .

Only a few days ago, I published a post on Blogger vs. WordPress. In that post I said - WordPress is matured, but there is a continuous improvement on Blogger. And the new HTML template editor of blogger is a part of that improvement! Today I will discuss about how to work with the new html editor.

I was very much angry after such a change in the template editor. Because several times I was puzzled by the new options and interface. But as soon as I got familiar with the new editor, I really like it. If you're familiar with all the new options I think you will also like it.

Okay let's start. Sign in to your blogger. Go to the design or dashboard. Then hit on the Template tab from the left pane. Now click on Edit HTML button. Your template will be appeared as the image below:

Line Number: Each line of the template are numbered. When editing the template, if you made any error then error message will be shown as - error on ### line. Thus you will know exactly where you made mistake.

Folded Code: You may face problem due to the folded code. In the above image, look at the line number 1078. After 1078 there is line number 2033! More than thousand lines are hidden. Clicking on the folder marker ' ►' you can show those hidden lines.

Jump to Widget: This button is really helpful for navigating through the template. If you click on the down arrow, you will see the parts of your template. You can go to any part by a single click. For example- Blog 1, HTML 1, HTML 2 etc.

Format Template: Don't be confused. It will not delete your template! When you format your flash drive then all data are erased. But here format means formatting the template. If you hit on the Format button, the indentation of your template will be corrected automatically.

Revert Changes: If you hit on this button, the unsaved changes will be removed automatically. Suppose you made some random changes in your template. But before saving it, you can't remember whether everything is correct or not, in that case you can hit this button to cancel the changes you made.

Search Box: As more than thousand lines of your template are folded, you can't find your desired part of the code by using the browser's search box. That's the new editor gives you a new search box. To activate the search box you have to click on any part of the editor. Then Press Ctrl + F to enable search. Press Shift + Ctrl + F to find and replace. Press Shift + Ctrl + R to replace all.

Old options are also available along with these new buttons. You can preview your template by hitting on Preview Template button before saving it. Or if you would like to back to the default settings of the widget then click on the Revert Widget Templates to Default button.

While creating a blog in
blogger, you have to name your site and enter the URL. But choosing an appropriate
name for the site with perfect URL is not a very easy task. You should think
and research about what will be the Title, Description and URL of the site.
Because they have a great impact on search results.

Let’s Analyse a Case

Here I’d like to share my
personal experience. When I created Marks PC Solution 4 years ago, I was simply
a novice in blogging. In that time I didn’t think much about the URL. I used
munnamark.blogspot.com as my URL.

But it doesn’t match with the
blog title. The URL should be well-matched with the title. If the URL and title
are related, then your site will be easily on the first page of the search
result.

If you search Marks PC Solution
on Google, it will be the number 1 in the search result. Thousands of links
across the web have helped my site to be first in the search result.

But if my site URL were
something like that- markspcsolution.blogspot.com or markspc.blogspot.com, then
it will be the number 1 even without so many backlinks.

If the blog title and URL are
similar, then it is easier for that site to be appeared on the first page when
searched by its title!

Choosing
a Better Title

Certainly choosing the
appropriate title is crucial for any site. Blog title should be matched with
the contents. Let’s see the title of my site:

Marks PC Solution

There are many sites which
include the words PC Solution. But only 2 or 3 sites may have the word Mark of
Marks with PC Solution. The word- Marks makes the title unique. And when you
search Marks PC Solution on Bing or Google, my site will be the top in the
search page.

Considering all these things, when naming the site, you should keep in mind:

Naming a site is just like naming a baby, or naming a movie. It should carry a meaning.

Never pick a name that doesn't represent the site’s contents.

Blog title shouldn't be very common. Pick a unique name if possible.

It shouldn't be very long. Keep it less than 20 characters.

The title should be easy to spell, pronounce and remember.

Proper
Description

The description is what the
visitors see just below the title. It is not much important for search engines
rather it is important for the readers. Because the search description
describes your site. It tells the visitors what the site is about.

If you closely analyse this
description, you will realize none of the posts of this site is out of this
description. In that sense, we can say, our description is perfectly matched
with the site’s contents.

Consider the following issues
while choosing a description for your site:

Description should meaningful and easy to remember

Keep it relevant to the contents/ blog posts

Keep it short but complete (Less than 100 characters)

Never mention needless words there!

Choosing
Appropriate URL

This is definitely an important
part of SEO. A good URL can bring success in search results.

Remember, an established site’s
URL doesn’t need to be changed even it is not matched with the title. If you
change the URL, it will degrade your SEO position. And you may have thousands
of links on the web. Those links will be wasted. Though you can redirect your
site to the new URL somehow.

But definitely you’re gonna
lose the links you’ve shared on social sites like Google +, Facebook, Twitter,
Linked in etc.

When choosing the URL of your
site you should keep in mind:

URL should be as short as possible so that users can type it quickly.

The more the URL is related to the title, the more benefit you will get from the search engines.

URL should be easy to remember.

Choose an URL which has a meaning. But never try to make it similar to the URLs of other sites. Better keep it unique. For example- munnamark.blogspot.com. You will never find an URL that includes the word munnamark. This is unique!

Changing
Title, Description and URL

Before changing the Blog Title,
Description and URL, be careful about the negative effects of these changes. I
suggest you to read the whole article again to know more about naming and
describing the site.

Okay let’s start. Sign in to
your blogger dashboard.

Go to the Settings tab.

Now click on the Basic button and look at the image below.

Title, Description and Blog Address are marked. And at the right of each item you will see an Edit button.

To change the Title, click on the Edit button. Then choose a different name. By the same way you can change the description.

Now go to the Blog Address. Hit on the edit button. Change the word and check whether it’s available. If your desired URL is available then save it. (This may require time for the search engines to index your new URL)

Advice: Never
try to change the name and URL of your site unless it is essential. Never try
to change it just to play. Because your social sharing links, other backlinks
and search index will be infected for sure!

WordPress and Blogger are two giant platforms of blogging. The first one is famous for its numerous plugins, sufficient tutorials and lots of supports from communities with professional image. And the other is well known for being associated with search giant Google, easy and nice operation system with continuous improvements.

But there are some questions that need to be answered before choosing the right one for you:

Which one is easy to operate?

Which one is more professional?

Which one is more popular?

Which one is superior?

Which one could be better in the future?

In this post I will try
to answer these questions. After getting the answers, you will be able to decide-
which one is right for you!

WordPress is somewhat
complicated. But blogger is very easy. Even a new guy in blogging can operate
blogger dashboard easily. As the WordPress contains more features, naturally
you have to handle more complexities.

The interface of
blogger is nice and updated. You can easily rearrange the layout of your site.
But in WordPress, it is somewhat confusing.

To be a master in
WordPress, a few months of exercise is required. But you should be fine with
the Blogger within few weeks!

To be a professional
blogger, WordPress is a better choice. But it doesn’t mean that Blogger will
make you unprofessional. To be honest, giant blogs are powered by WordPress.
And it is called the best CMS. As it has lots of templates, plugins, and
gadgets available throughout the web, WordPress is the professionals’ choice.
It is a matured platform.

But the blogger is
still being improved. It doesn't have much support as WordPress.

In case of popularity,
it is very difficult to draw a conclusion. Most of the reputed blogs are based
on WordPress. But most of the newly opened sites are powered by blogger. It is
because earlier the blogger was very back dated. But within last two years,
significant changes were made in the control panel of blogger. And some
beautiful templates are also added there. These changes together have made
blogger easier and better.

So, WordPress is still popular among
experts. But new guys love Blogger.

Superiority:

The
Strengths of WordPress are:

Strong WordPress communities

Experts’ choice

Thousands of tools, templates, plugins
across the web

SEO friendly- Better than Blogger

Sufficient tutorials are available

More flexible

WordPress has offline version too! You
can download and develop your site offline!

Exciting features and capabilities to
give your site a better look

The
Strengths of Blogger are:

Powered by Google (May have positive impacts in search results)

Continuous improvements

Simple user interface- makes it easier

Customizable

Easily approved by AdSense (Purchased domains are preferred)

Fully modifiable even without custom domain – Not available in WordPress

Other exclusive features – Not available in WordPress.

The main power of
WordPress is that- it has numerous plugins with more flexibility. But blogger
doesn’t have such superb level gadgets. And Blogger doesn't as customizable as
WordPress. So, most of the experts are not interested in blogger. Google
develops it by itself. But WordPress developers have a chance to download it
and develop their sites offline.

Here, the choice is WordPress.

Future

As the future is always
uncertain, nothing can be said directly. It’s almighty Allah who knows what’s
gonna happen and what’s not. But let me predict something:

WordPress is very
strong from a long time ago. And the best bloggers of the world are working with
it. The best developers are using it. The most beautiful and effective websites
are hosted by WordPress. So you can easily guess the WordPress will lead the
blogging world at least for 5 years.

In contrast, Blogger
(previously known as BlogSpot) is purchased by Google. It has been taken over
by Google (though the domain is still .blogspot.com). We didn’t notice much
improvement within few years of purchase. But if you look at the last two
years, you should notice the following improvements:

Superb Control Panel (Design or Dashboard whatever you say)

Beautiful default templates with customizable interface

Third party templates are also available. And you’re allowed to design your own template too.

Increasing number of useful gadgets and widgets

Nice Stat tab to check page views, traffics, visitor locations etc.

Fully integrated with AdSense

Many improvements in settings tab

Google+ Comment Box

Simply, Google is
trying to make Blogger more popular! What do you want more? Definitely you will
notice much more improvements on Blogger within next two years!

Here, my choice is Blogger.

Final Analysis

Finally, I would like
to say, Marks PC Solution is powered by Blogger. And I’m enjoying it a lot. New
features are coming and I’m testing them in my site. And you know most of the guys
start blogging with the Blogger. Later many of them move their sites in
WordPress. Somehow they are convinced that WordPress is essential for the
success! But I don’t think so. Many Blogger blogs are also competing with
WordPress blogs equally. You just need to know how to do it.

The Decision is yours . . .

I’ve tried to present
all the facts about Blogger and WordPress. Now decide yourself. Which one you
like or which one is suitable for you. Even you can use both of them at the
same time if your time allows it. You don’t need to think too much about
WordPress or Blogger. Create a site wherever you like. And concentrate on it
properly. You will be successful.

Tips: You can export
your blogger blog to WordPress. And a WordPress site can also be imported into
Blogger!

Dear visitors! In this post you're not getting any tips! Today I would like to tell you the little story behind the establishment of Marks PC Solution. Though this is not a tips, but you must read and take some lessons from this post. Read it properly with patience.

Background:

I got admitted atDhaka City Collegeto study BBA in the year of 2008. In that time I didn't familiar with the use of internet. But I was very interested about Computer since 2005. I used to discuss computer related issues with my classmates. One of them was Adnan Shameem. He had a nice forum namedAmarnotes(Lost due to the error in server). He often told me to visit his site. But I didn't have net connection. And even I didn't have a personal computer!

One day I went to a Cybercafe with Adnan. He helped me to open an email account: munnamark@gmail.com. I could never imagine one day this email might be associated with hundreds of online accounts!

When I was at the second
semester, I informed my parents- Computer
is essential to complete the assignments. Just after a few days, I got a
new PC costing $ 500. After getting the PC, my skills were improving at an
amazing speed! (Now I’m passing a hard
time with that PC. Either it needs to be repaired or changed! J

And at the beginning of the 3rd
semester, my course teacher (Ms. Sayeda Ferdous Lusanta), Principles of
Marketing, declared that- Everyone must
have net connection to complete my assignments. What a declaration! And I
got a chance to demand a net connection in the parliament.

Within a week, I got a net
connection. It was Citycell Zoom. Later I upgraded this to Zoom Ultra. Now this
connection should also be upgraded. And no other suitable substitutes are
available in my area.

After getting the net
connection, I was busy to learn necessary online applications. I learned many
things about Internet and computer using the net. I discovered many tips and shared these with others.

Here I’d like to thank Adnan
again. He told me- Open a blog and share
these tips. But initially I was not interested. I thought- is it necessary at all?

Beginning
of the Blog:

After that I also opened an account inWordPressby the same name-Marks PC Solutionand URL is munnamark.wordpress.com. But I didn't continue that site as premium membership is required to edit the template manually. But you can still access my WordPress site.

Marks PC Solution was created in 2009. Only 9 posts were written in Bengali. In that time I was not so interested to keep it active. And I didn't even visit this site in the next year I mean in 2010. I almost forget that I've a site on blogger!

Development of the Site:

At the end of 2011, I had an
offer. It was a free course on Online
Earning. It was a 2-day training conducted by BIDD (Bangladesh Institute of
Design & Development). The training venue was also very attractive- Prime Minister’s office of Bangladesh!

In my class there were more
than 50 students. But it was decided that only one student is allowed to go for
the training. When our BBA coordinator declared this in our class I wasn’t
there. Because it was off-time and I was
busy at our computer lab.

I was famous in my class for
computer troubleshooting. I used to help people in computer and Internet
related issues. But as I was introvert in nature (don’t think I’m extrovert
now! J) not all of them were familiar with me. And
what about girls? Most of them even didn't know what my name is! And some of them couldn't even recognize me! Well I enjoyed this at that time.

J

Okay back to the track. When I
was busy at computer lab, a girl of my class (her name is Jemmy) saw me there.
She asked me- You Munna? (I really
surprised at her question! I thought she knows my name! Because we’re at the
6th semester of BBA Program! Only then I was quite sure many of the girls of my
class don’t know my name! J

I didn't let her understand that I’m surprised. I just answered YEAH. Then she told- Every one of the class is looking for you. Then I showed my exclamation- WHY? She said- a training will be arranged for some students of our college. You should go to the class to know the details. Emrul knows better.

Then I left the lab and went to
the class. Emrul helped me a lot. He told me that- Only one student of this class is allowed to go for the training. And
we think- Only you are the right person.
He also took permission from others. He asked- does anyone have an objection?
Thanks to almighty Allah! There was no
objection. Everyone agreed. I am grateful to my classmates. They left their
chance for me. I was selected from Section: D. And it’s my pleasure that Adnan was selected from Section: C. His
friend Mahin left the chance for him. Otherwise Adnan might face little
competition to be selected.

I had know idea about topics will be covered in that training. All I knew about it- It’s an online earning course. Maybe they will train us about how to learn online.

Finally, it was a nice morning of winter. I left my home at 6.45 am. And arrived at Vasani Novo Theater at 7.40 am. There were our teachers and other students. Our teacher Md. Shamsul Arefin enlisted my name in the attendance sheet. Almost all students were present by 8.00 am. There were more than 100 persons including teachers and students. We started walking to the PM Office. But I was worried because Adnan wasn't present there! And carrying bags and mobile phones were forbidden for the students. While running by the side of a newly constructed road we noticed a serious motorbike accident! Maybe the biker was taken to the hospital but spot dead. Such a bad scene at the beginning of the day!

We reached the PM office gate
and waited there for more than 40 minutes. By this time Adnan arrived there!
Everyone was waiting to enter the main building. After completing some
formalities the officials provided us the visitor cards. Without this card no
one is allowed enter the PM office.

We walked a long driveway.
Maybe it took 3 minutes to pass. Then we reached at the gate of the main
building. We crossed the security door. Then we were taken to the Karabi Hall.
In that time the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, was out of country. Thanks to the prime minister to arrange
such a training facility for us! We spent 8 hours per day. We were
entertained by sufficient foods, snacks and drinks. I really missed that
environment after the training! L Such a
chance to enter the PM office may not come in my life again. J

Here
is the detail of the Training:

Course Name: Online Earning Course

Course Duration: 2 Days

Total Time: 16 Hours (8 Hours per day)

Date: December 09 to 10, 2011. (Friday &
Saturday)

Time: 10 am to 6 pm

Organization: Bangladesh Institute of Design
& Development (BIDD)

After the training of BIDD, I
decided to develop my site. I tried to earn money through blogging with the
help of Google AdSense. I translated previously published Bengali posts into
English. Because AdSense doesn’t support Bengali blogs usually.

I
also got AdSnese in my site. Several times Google rejected my
application. But finally I got it with
more than 50,000 page views and 90 posts. Unfortunately my AdSense account was disabled due to
invalid clicks by someone. But later I got it again. Everything was fine.
But this time Google banned me without proper reason. In fact, Google’s policy
is very hard for Bangladeshis. AdSense is too strict for us.

I really disappointed when my
AdSense account gets disabled. But I never stopped writing. I also submitted my
blog to those illegal sites that offer free pageviews. But later I understood
those views are machine generated. So I stopped submitted my blog to those
sites. These sites are very harmful for your blog. If Google found your site in
those illegal sites, you might be banned or ignored in Google Search Result!

I also submitted this blog into
social sharing sites and online directories. Definitely these are valid ways to
increase traffics. And I used to comment and post on popular forums, blogs and
other sites. I’ve got lots of visitors from those sites.

I
used to request my friends, classmates and acquaintances to visit my site. Most
of them found my site useful. Some of them were not interested. But as I told
them again and again they felt bore. Here I can name some of them – Polash,
Sabbir, Adnan. And I am sorry to them.
How many times a person can tolerate? I knew that even some of them were angry
with me due to my request to visit the site. But I didn't care! I continued to
make them bore! J

I not only requested them visit
my site, but also told them to share my site on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus.
And with this, giving like, tweet and +1 were mandatory. They were also kidding
me and saying- I’m crazy. And really I
am!

I knew these will never
increase my visitors. Because I had only few classmates who are regular with me
at chat. They can visit my site only 10 to 20 times a day. Then I decided I
will never make them bore. Because this is not effective at all. Who needs my
contents will automatically visit my site. I don’t need to tell them. And
people are not only busy with blogging like me. They have other works too.

Now my policy is just- writing better. In each new post, I try to develop my style. I always try
to write good and unique contents. I don’t submit my blog to the sites which
offers page views and social sharing. This is really a bad idea. Most
importantly these are not original. And I don’t like fake pride.

Current
Scenario:

Now I’m quite happy with the
performance of Marks PC Solution. More than
7000 pageviews, 4000 unique visitors and 3000 new visitors per day. Marks PC Solution has more than 2,00,000 pageviews in the last 30
days!

But this is not enough. I would
like to take it to a higher position. Still this site has no page rank. But
most of my visitors come from Google! And it has a good position in Google
search results. Don’t know why page rank is 0 for Marks PC.

In Alexa, the position of Marks
PC Solution is excellent. My Alexa traffic rank is less than 1,30,000.
Sometimes it goes under 1,00,000.

I've already published 415 posts. And this one was post # 249. Generating the post idea is the most difficult task in blogging. Sometimes I
search other blogs and forums to get ideas. And sometimes I try to find what creates
problem for bloggers and PC users. Then I try to solve those problems in my
posts.

I also try to collect ideas
from my visitors. Sometimes they share their views. But those are not enough to
generate ideas. In that time I get disappointed. Because the main feature of a
blog is new contents. Still I can say Marks
PC Solution is active and unique. At the beginning I had a tendency to copy the posts. But immediately I give up such a bad idea. Because if you wanna be a successful blogger, you've to be creative. But if you copy the posts of others, creativity will die before the birth!

Now I have to handle lots of
comments from visitors. I have to reply to those comments and give feedback.
Visitors are all I have. Whether I earn money or not, I will continue writing. I feel happy when someone gets benefited from my site. It brings mental peace. And you know, happiness can’t be bought by Dollars! J

So that’s the end of the story
of Marks PC Solution. I tried to keep this short but it takes more than 2000
words. Sorry to write such a long post. None of my posts is so long. Thanks
for your patience.

Update:Last year, on April 29, 2014, I've purchased domain for my site. I've changed the domain from munnamark.blogspot.com to www.markspcsolution.com. After changing the domain, there was a dramatic decline in traffic. At that time I had to bear a huge loss. Now I'm trying to recover it. Still I haven't been able to recover my previous status as it was before changing the domain. Read more . . .